Europe’s largest South Asian annual film festival has kicked started, the Bagri Foundation London Indian Film Festival is a cinematic treasure trove of carefully curated premieres of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi independent films, offering rare glimpses into some of the billion plus lives in the sub-continent. Now in its ninth year it expands out in three cities: London, Birmingham and Manchester.

LIFF opened on 21st June at the famous Empire (Cineworld) Leicester Square, with the world premiere of Love Sonia from the Oscar nominated producer of Life of Pi, David Womark, starring Demi Moore, Freida Pinto, Mark Duplass, and an all star Bollywood cast Anupam Kher, Manoj Bajpayee, Rajkummar Rao, Richa Chadda, with Mrunal Thakur. It is based on the gritty world of global human trafficking.  Love Sonia’s cast and crew joined the LIFF Opening Gala Red Carpet where we were caught the film. Love Sonia is truly heart-wrenching emotional roller coaster, that will really open your eyes on the globl sex trade… a sad truth.

Highlights from the festival include British comedy Eaten By Lions, TIFF hit Hva vil folk si (What Will People Say), The Song of Scorpions and No Bed of Roses, starring Irrfan Khan, with an emphasis on the female directorial eye, fathers and sons, and extraordinary lives from the Indian subcontinent, with many international names starring in a carefully curated selection of films.

The Festival finale red carpet is at BFI Southbank with the UK Premiere of Venus – a feel-good comedy about a Canadian Punjabi transgender person who is about to embark on surgery but suddenly discovers they are the father of a teenage boy who thinks they are the coolest dad on the planet. The director Eisha Marjara and talent are expected, on Friday 29 June.

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